Voice For Liberty

Tag: Kansas legislature

Articles about the Kansas legislature, both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

  • Kansas tax simplification desired, but opportunity forgone

    Two Kansas lawmakers expressed their desire for simplification of the Kansas tax system, but failed to put these desires into practice when given the opportunity to do so.

    Yesterday the Kansas House of Representatives gave initial passage to SB 430. This bill, which I testified against in the House Taxation Committee when in a different form, expands several tax credit programs. These programs spend money through the tax system, and are an example of how Kansas tax law becomes more complicated.

    If the legislature wants to give money to people for any reason, it could simply pass laws that establish grants. Instead, lawmakers created a complicated system that is difficult to understand, is not efficient, and is not tracked anywhere near accurately, according to a legislative study. In effect, legislators are using the tax system for appropriations, thereby avoiding the usual scrutiny that accompanies state expenditures — as such scrutiny exists.

    Shortly after the passage of this bill Richard Carlson, a Republican from St. Marys who is chairman of the tax committee, took to the floor of the House of Representatives to speak in favor of a different bill. He advocated for tax simplification, saying that “we have a convoluted tax system in Kansas.” He added that we need to move to simplify the tax system.

    As chairman of the tax committee, however, he passed tax credit legislation that works against these goals. He could have stopped it. The chair has such power.

    The tax committee also introduced a bill to create a committee to “study, make recommendations, and introduce legislation for a simplified state tax structure.” This bill, HB 2462, gained initial passage through the House yesterday.

    The bill was sponsored by Olathe Republican Arlen Siegfreid. According to his news release, he testified in favor of this bill in committee, saying “Kansas tax policy is too complicated.” Siegfreid, however, as a member of the taxation committee amended the tax credit legislation to make it even more complicated, and was strongly in favor of the tax credit process.

  • Kansans, including governor, rally for school spending, taxes

    Kansas long-term debt per person

    Today in Topeka supporters of more taxes for Kansas public school spending marched from the headquarters of Kansas National Education Association (or KNEA, the teachers union), to the Kansas Capitol, where they heard from speakers including Governor Parkinson. The crowd, braving the windy and cold weather, was estimated at 1,000 by the Topeka Capital-Journal.

    The theme of the rally — besides more taxes and more spending — was the chant “We want what’s right, not what’s left!” I don’t think the participants detected the irony.

    Kansas Senator Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat and a schoolteacher, said that keeping class sizes small, keeping quality teachers, and making sure that all children have an equal opportunity to succeed are the right things to do. Early childhood education and more technology are needed. He advocated for increasing state funding of Kansas schools instead of reliance on local property taxes.

    He said that investment in education is less expensive than paying to house prisoners.

    Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson acted as cheerleader for the crowd. He said that the outcome of the school funding battle will define the type of state we want to be: “Do we want to be a state that tears down our schools and refuses to fund education for our schoolchildren, or do we want to be a state that lifts up our schools, lifts up our teachers, and provides an education for every kid?”

    He asked whether we wanted to be a state where only the children of the wealthy can get a good education. He urged the group to go into action by emailing, writing, and calling legislators. He said the message to give them is not only to support education, as all legislators say they support education. Instead, Parkinson said to ask them: “Will you raise taxes to save schools?”

    He said we can do this — saving schools, presumably — with just a one cent increase in the sales tax. He said that the “so-called economists” on the right will say that a one cent sales tax will tear down our economy. He referred to the Sedgwick County sales tax used to build the Intrust Bank Arena, saying that people told him they didn’t know when the tax went on and off, claiming that no one noticed it. “Where are our priorities? If we can raise taxes one cent to build an arena, surely we can raise taxes on cent to help every schoolchild.”

    Several speakers stressed the importance of education for the future well-being of our economy and country.

    Analysis

    The Kansas teachers union’s role in this rally is ironic to the point of absurdity, as it has been one of the major impediments to improving public schools. A recent letter in the Wall Street Journal described how the teachers union and its rules has harmed Topeka schools.

    School spending supporters spend a lot of time talking about investing in education. But spending on public education is not really investing. It’s simply government spending on government schools. It results in jobs being transferred from the productive private sector to the unproductive public sector.

    We must also disagree with the governor when he minimizes the impact of a sales tax on the economy. Despite the governor’s contention — I’ll chalk it up to rhetorical excess — I certainly noticed when the Sedgwick County sales tax started and stopped. A sales tax increase does result in lost private sector jobs. It results in lost economic freedom, as explained in Tax increases will cost Kansas jobs, economic freedom.

    If a sales tax increase could be used to fund increased spending on schools without harming the economy, why stop at a one cent increase? Why not three or four cents? Or ten cents on the dollar? As we’ve seen, no amount of increased spending will satisfy the school spending lobby, at least not until all private sector wealth is transferred to the government.

    Finally, for those who are willing to cast the lot of Kansas schoolchildren with the current system, consider the Adequate Yearly Funding website created to support this rally. The creator of this site, apparently Noah Slay, a third grade teacher and one of the rally organizers and speakers, evidently doesn’t know how to correctly form the plural of a word like “logo.” Twice the site erroneously creates the plural form of this noun using the greengrocer’s apostrophe: “If you’re creative and enjoy creating interesting and catchy slogans and logo’s …”

    Related: Kansas school spending rally examined in video, story.

  • Kansas Representative Joe Patton on Kansas school spending

    Following is a press release from Kansas Representative Joe Patton, a Republican who represents parts of southwest Topeka and Shawnee County. He touches on a wide range of Kansas school finance topics, including the level of spending, the amount of taxes Kansas businesses pay, the cost of a tax increase, and the amount of waste, fraud, and abuse in the system.

    Recently I received an email from a concerned young mother of grade school children about education. I called her and asked if I could sit down with her and her husband to listen to their concerns. I spent several hours one Sunday afternoon at their home as they shared their concerns about their children’s education. I listened and shared with them the budget facts we have to deal with this session. With this letter I invite you to become part of our conversation.

    I’m sure you have heard media accounts about the “budget crisis”. I want to provide you the very best information I can so I can get your input. I’m sure together we can get through these stormy waters. I fought to cut my own pay 10%, the final law cut it 5%. Still legislative cuts are part of the solution. I believe in working together in a reasonable way to solve these problems with bipartisan solutions. As your State Representative, I want to make sure everyone — parents, grandparents, teachers, principals, superintendents and school board members — are in the loop when it comes to the latest and most accurate budget information we have concerning the schools.

    (more…)

  • Tax on beer, liquor subject of Kansas Senate committee hearing

    Today’s meeting of the Kansas Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee heard testimony on SB 569, which would increase taxes on beer, wine, and liquor. The tone of the meeting was set in chairman Les Donovan‘s opening remarks, when he said “If you drink, you’re going to have to pay.”

    The fiscal note for this bill is not available at the legislature’s website, but Donovan said that he intends to moderate the tax so that it raises $30 million in revenue per year, down from the $80 million he said the bill would raise if left in its present form.

    Advocates for the disabled presented both oral and written testimony in favor of the tax increase. Curiously, the school spending lobby, in the form of the Kansas Association of School Boards and the teachers union, did not speak.

    There were a number of opponents. Testifying on behalf of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Whitney Damron supplied these facts: 1) Of the purchase price of the typical bottle of spirits purchased in Kansas, 47% is a tax of some type. 2) The higher taxes in this bill are projected to reduce retail sales by $55 million, which would result in 800 jobs being lost. 3) Kansas taxes are higher than those in Missouri and Oklahoma, which lead to lost sales to those states. This bill would make this situation worse.

    Ron Hein, testifying for the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association, said that the businesses he represents are facing large increases in unemployment insurance taxes, and that the smoking ban will hurt, too.

    In written testimony, Tom Palace of the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association of Kansas noted that the stores he represents are facing possible increases in cigarette and tobacco taxes, sales tax, gasoline tax, soda pop tax, and now beer tax.

    The bill contains a provision that on July 1, a tax must be paid on the inventory of a distributor or retailer. In written testimony, a liquor store owner from Wichita said that his store would have to pay $5,000 in tax on that day.

    Perhaps the most compelling testimony was offered by Marshall Rimann, who with his wife owns two liquor stores, one in Lenexa, the other in Prairie Village, which is right on the Kansas-Missouri border. He said that Kansas City, Missouri has much lower taxes on alcohol than Kansas.

    As an example, he said that a 30-pack of Bud Light currently costs, with all taxes, $21.05 in his store. After the proposed tax increases, the price would be $23.49. Advertisements in the newspaper indicate that the same product can be purchased in Missouri for $19.33, including all taxes.

    A bottle of wine that sells for $8 would have a price differential of almost $2, he said.

    Surprisingly, some items can be purchased cheaper at retail in Missouri than they can be purchased from a Kansas wholesaler. A bottle of Seagrams 7 Crown that retails for $15.99 in Missouri costs $18.99 from a Kansas wholesaler, for example.

    He said that the July 1 inventory tax for his store would be over $10,000.

    Both Rimann and a liquor store owner from Eudora said that their customers tell them they often shop in Missouri because of the lower prices resulting from Missouri’s lower taxes.

    In questioning, Kansas Senator Chris Steineger, a Democrat from Kansas City, said that in the business world, it’s not possible to raise prices in tough times. Instead, restructuring is required. He said he’s disappointed that the legislature is not restructuring government. “We didn’t consolidate any agencies, we didn’t close any programs — all we’re doing is just making people pay more.” There are other options, he said, and that is to restructure how the states does business.

    Steineger also mentioned the two Quik-Trip convenience stores that moved from Kansas City, Kansas to Missouri because of taxes. One store moved just 100 feet, keeping the same driveway. You enter the store through a driveway located in Kansas, but by the time you walk in the store, you’re in Missouri. Kansas taxes are the reason for this.

    In closing remarks, Donovan said that legislators “absolutely hate” to raise taxes, but that raising revenue is required at this time. He said the committee will take final action on this bill on Thursday.

  • Kansas news digest

    News from alternative media around Kansas for March 16, 2010.

    School consolidation measures deliberated in House

    (Kansas Liberty) “The Kansas House tentatively approved a plan today that would allow three or more school districts to consolidate into two districts. House Bill 2704 originally included two consolidation-promoting components, but one of the components was stripped off on the House floor under the direction of Rep. Bill Light, R-Rolla.”

    Concealed-carry bill stalls in committee

    (Kansas Liberty) “Legislation promoting an alteration to the state’s concealed-carry law has been sitting in the House Federal and State Affairs committee since its February hearing. House Bill 2685 would require any state building that posts a sign prohibiting concealed-carry to have adequate security measures in place.”

    Debate — who decides supremacy of Health Care Freedom Amendment?

    (Kansas Liberty) “Conferees testifying on the Health Care Freedom Amendment butted heads today on whether the measure would provide the state with adequate protection from being forced to comply with any health-care mandates that could be passed by the federal government.”

    Sales tax exemption repeals a possibility for nonprofits, other organizations

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas business owners and non-profit service organizations urged lawmakers Monday to reject proposals that would require groups as diverse as utility customers, Girl Scouts and coin-operated laundry owners to pay more sales taxes.”

    Mega school districts would save millions, panel told

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Consolidating Kansas’ nearly 300 school districts into a fraction of that number, with 10,000 students in each district, would cut potentially hundreds of million of dollars in duplicative administrative costs, backers of such a plan told a Kansas House panel this week.”

    KDOT looks at Amtrak expansion

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas House voted 115 to five Thursday to give Kansas Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller the ability to prepare for expanded rail service in the state. That same day, Amtrak released a study concerning the feasibility of such passenger rail service, which was presented to the House Transportation committee.”

    Tobacco tax plan hurts mom-and-pop stores, opponents say

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Tom Palace considered wearing a bulls-eye costume to testify before the Kansas Senate Assessment and Taxation committee hearing Wednesday. As executive director of the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association of Kansas, Palace feels that the legislature’s proposed options for additional revenue target his industry at every turn. Cigarette, liquor, fuel and sales taxes are all options that the legislature is examining to cover an estimated $400 million budget shortfall.”

    Kansas panel changes proposed property tax lid

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas House Taxation committee members voted to send a proposed lid on new property tax increases to the House floor Tuesday after first changing a key condition in the plan.”

    Spokesmen for developmentally disabled ask Supreme Court to halt spending cuts

    (Kansas Health Institute News Service) “TOPEKA – A restraining order against the State of Kansas was requested Friday by advocates for the developmentally disabled, who said recent budget cuts are harmful and in violation of federal laws and the state constitution. ‘Thousands of people are hurting out there,’ said Tom Laing, executive director of Interhab, a group representing community programs for the developmentally disabled. ‘We should not want to live in a state where these things are allowed.’”

    Legislature wades into tax bills this week

    (Kansas Health Institute News Service) “TOPEKA – After weeks of talking about weak revenues and budget cuts, the Legislature this week takes up various tax proposals ranging from elimination of sales tax exemptions to a new levy on soda pop and other sugared drinks.”

    Governor says votes there for major tax increase

    (Kansas Health Institute News Service) “TOPEKA – There are enough votes to pass a $300 million to $400 million tax increase, the governor told KHI News Service. But still uncertain, he said, is the specific mix of taxes legislators will settle on. They currently have before them proposals to increase the general sales tax but also tobacco and alcohol. The Senate also is considering a measure that for the first time tax the sugar in soft drinks and other sugary beverages. The Senate and House this week also are looking at bills that would repeal sales tax exemptions.”

    Sunshine Week 2010: Sunshine is the Best Disinfectant

    (Kansas Watchdog) “Our nation’s founding documents state clearly that the people, endowed with fundamental, inalienable rights, are the masters of government, which derives its just power from the consent of the governed. But, can consent be given without knowledge of what is consented to? Citizens are in an uphill battle against the inertia of decades of apathy. Adding urgency to the battle is the dramatic growth of government influence, power and complexity both nationally and locally.”

    A Look Inside the Kansas State Board of Education

    (Kansas Watchdog) “The March meeting of the Kansas State Board of Education made no headlines in the major media but the future of Kansas’ youth, the financial future of the state and its citizens’ freedoms all depend, in part, on how the Board works and the decisions it makes. A few glimpses into the Board’s operation are telling.”

    My view: Campaign Finance should cover judicial retention elections

    (Kansas Watchdog) “Regardless of where one is on the political spectrum, open government, open records and transparency are issues that everyone can agree on. When Tom Witt from the Kansas Equality Coalition asked me to speak in favor of transparency in judicial retention elections, I knew that was an issue I had no choice but to embrace.”

    Governor Mark Parkinson on the Economy, the Budget and Kansas Health

    (State of the State KS) “Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson (D) addresses budget shortfalls, key Capitol legislative issues and the need for bipartisan work in Kansas and Washington.”

    Budget Director Duane Goossen On This Year’s $106 Million Problem

    (State of the State KS) “Budget Director Duane Goossen talks about new information the state is short $106 million for 2010 and what should be done to fix it.”

    School Consolidation Considered as Solution To Budget Crisis

    (State of the State KS) “The House Education Budget committee heard debate on a bill Thursday that would consolidate the current 293 school districts to about 45 across the state.”

  • Kansas gasoline tax increases possible

    Americans for Prosperity-Kansas reports on two bills that would increase the cost of gasoline in Kansas:

    There are two bills before the Senate Transportation Committee that would increase the cost of gas in Kansas by an estimated 15 to 20 cents per gallon.

    SB 515 would decrease the motor fuel tax rates by 5 cents starting Jan. 1, 2013. However, at that same time motor fuels would be subject to sales tax. With this change, it’s estimated the bill would result in a 15 cent per-gallon increase in the cost of gas.

    SB 498 would increase motor fuel taxes by 4 cents beginning Jan. 1, 2013 and by an additional 3 cents the following year. Additionally, the bill allows the Director of Taxation to adjust the tax rate based on the percentage change in the average of the consumer price index for the most recent 12-month period.

    Here is a SB 515. The fiscal note for this bill indicates that beginning in fiscal year 2011, an additional $300 million in revenue would be collected by the state each year.

    Here is SB 498. Its fiscal note indicates that it too will raise $300 million in revenue per year.

  • Kansas tax increases promoted, even by Republicans

    Last week Kansas Senator John Vratil, a Leawood Republican who is Vice-President of the Senate, sent a letter to constituents asking for feedback on how to generate more revenue for Kansas state government.

    The letter states “The Senate Ways and Means Committee has worked hard to cut ‘the fat’ out of state government while striving to hold education harmless.” The letter notes that the Kansas general fund budget is now $5.4 billion, and that education and required social services amount to $4.6 billion of that.

    Vratil promotes the tax on drinks sweetened with sugar, which would add about ten cents to the cost of a 12 ounce can of pop. Vratil says the tax would raise an estimated $90 million in revenue per year.

    The Senate leadership — Vratil being part of that — has already announced plans to push for a tax increase.

    Other Republican senators may be jumping on the tax bandwagon, too. Last week Senator Les Donovan, a Wichita Republican and chairman of the Assessment and Taxation Committee, said during a committee hearing: “We have to do something on the revenue side. … We don’t know if we can cut enough spending.” He said that if we can’t cut spending, “we’re going to do something to raise some revenue, some way.”

    (Today Donovan proposed increasing the state sales tax rate by 0.7 percentage points, removing the sales tax from food in three years. He will also propose increases on taxes for cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks sweetened with sugar. The increase in the sales tax is a 13.2% increase in the rate.)

    On a Kansas conservative message board, one poster expressed support for a soda tax, saying that people could avoid the tax by not purchasing soda. Another poster disagreed, calling the soda tax “another area of government encroachment on our decisions,” concluding that “Unfortunately, the senators are not looking out for the health of Kansans as much as looking to get more of the wealth of Kansans.”

    Another poster contended that Vratil’s assertion of Kansas already “cutting the agencies to the bone” is an overstatement of the cuts, and that there’s plenty of slack in state employment and management practices. Specifically,

    The false premise being presented by Sen. Vratil is that all the agencies and departments that are recipients of government money are cut to the “bone.” Really? What these folks consider a “bone” many of us would still see as filet mignon.

    We have to start here. There is no doubt that on any budget your employees are your greatest cost, but the real question is is there a necessity for all those employees? We have layers of bureaucracy that are costing us a fortune. We have managers managing managers and departments created as political payback for years of campaign support. Public service unions are dictating the state budget rather than “best business” practices. Now before I have all the folks who are state employees cursing me, let me stress that my comments are not directed at those who are working hard every day and giving their best to their employers. I am making my assertions on personal information and experience that I have observed for years. The public service unions handcuff managers from releasing poor performers on a daily basis. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that departments could run with 80% less staff and not a single tax payer would know the difference. I am sympathetic to folks losing their jobs, but when did it become the taxpayers responsibility to ensure employment for our neighbors? I would rather ensure that they have job opportunities from the private sector. Those opportunities will continue to diminish with the type of tax-and-spend practices that are currently directing the state budget.

    Another poster wondered how a tax on soda would decrease consumption of what’s deemed an “undesirable” product, while a general sales tax would not produce the same effect on all goods:

    Has anyone ever asked Mr. Morris or Vratil or any other tax hike supporter how they can claim a tax on soda will make us all healthier because we’ll stop buying as much, but then claim an across the board 1% sales tax isn’t supposed to hurt the economy at all? If a tax on soda or cigarettes or alcohol is enough to decrease consumption, doesn’t it stand to reason that an across the board sales tax increase would have the same effect? Have these legislators ever been challenged about this blatant contradiction?

    With moderate and even some conservative Republicans proposing tax increases, it’s going to be a tough battle for senate Republicans to hold the line on taxes.

  • Kansas school leader: pay cuts and audits not the solution

    At a meeting last week of the Kansas Senate Assessment and Taxation committee, a Kansas school superintendent said cutting his pay and auditing his district are not the answers to Kansas budget problems.

    Mike Mathes, superintendent of Seaman Unified School District 354 told Kansas Senator Karin Brownlee that he chose to “do what was necessary to get to the top of my profession. I believe I earn every penny I make.” He added that he didn’t believe the members of the legislature should take a pay cut, either.

    He said he would not accept a pay increase until the budget crisis is over.

    Earlier, Mathes responded to a question about the small number of Kansas school districts that participated in a voluntary audit program. He said that his district has been auditing its efficiency since he became superintendent eight years ago. He said that he looked at the audit of the Derby school district, a district close in size to his, and his district has done most of what the audit recommended for Derby.

    Analysis

    Generally, the meaning of the word “audit” means an independent examination and evaluation. When a district self-audits, as Mathes says his district has, it’s not an independent audit. Further, audits are specific to an organization, such as the Derby school district. The results of it may not apply to Mathes’ district, and there may be things that can be done in Mathes’ district that an audit of a different school district can’t detect.

  • ‘Kansas Votes’ provides information on legislature, bills

    The website Kansas Votes provides information about pending legislation in Kansas as it works its way through the law-making process. This process, which can appear complicated to the average citizen, is explained in plain language on this website.

    Here are some features of Kansas Votes:

    • Concise, plain-language, objective and accurate descriptions of every bill, amendment, roll call vote and voice vote.
    • Ability to track all the votes of a particular legislator, or search by bill number, category or keyword.
    • Ability to view all the bills and amendments introduced by a particular legislator.
    • Ability to post a public comment, view others’ comments, and participate in citizen surveys on each bill.
    • Automatically e-mail legislators or others about a bill.
    • Ability to follow action in any one or more of 50 different categories of legislation (such as Education or Land Use or Taxes).
    • Ability to sign up for e-mail notifications of action on any bill or subject area of interest, including new bill introductions.

    Now citizens have a valuable tool to help them follow the action in the statehouse. This is especially important as traditional media such as newspapers devote less coverage to news like this.

    And did I mention it’s free?

    To use Kansas Votes, click on Kansas Votes.